2024 WNBA Finals Awards and Selections: A'ja Wilson as MVP and Caitlin Clark as Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote
The 2024 WNBA regular season has come to a close and now the playoffs are upon us, which begin on Sunday. Before that happens, it's time to look back at another exciting summer of basketball and make predictions for every major award, as well as give a Finals prediction.
Some of these honors have long been earned. Most notably, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson is a lock for the MVP award after one of the best individual seasons the league has ever seen. Likewise, Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark is a sure bet for the Rookie of the Year award after a historic start to her career.
Although almost everything else is up for debate.
Without further ado, here are CBS Sports' expert predictions for all the major awards and which team will lift the trophy.
Most Valuable Player
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
aja wilson |
Aja Wilson |
aja wilson |
It's no surprise. Wilson has been absolutely dominant. She became the first player to score 1,000 points in a season, set the single-season rebounding record and led the league in blocks. Wilson will likely be the unanimous MVP, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as the only players to win the award three times.
Rookie of the year
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Again, this one is obvious. Clark put together a historic rookie campaign, in which she set the single-season assists record, the single-game assists record, the rookie scoring record and the rookie 3-point record. She also led the league in assists and helped the Fever reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Defensive Player of the Year
The Lynx were the biggest surprise of this season, reaching the 30-win mark for the first time in franchise history thanks in large part to their dominant defense. Napheesa Collier was their best and most important player on that end of the court. She finished tied for second in the league in steals (1.9), tied for sixth in blocks (1.4) and second in defensive win shares (3.6).
Player who has improved the most
Three different players received votes for Most Improved Player, reflecting the fact that there was no standout choice this season. Alanna Smith made huge strides as a three-point shooter and defender, Sabrina Ionescu's approach inside the arc on offense was much improved and Dijonai Carrington made a leap on defense.
Sixth Player of the Year
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Leonie Fiebich |
Leonie Fiebich |
Leonie Fiebich |
Before the season, 24-year-old German rookie Leonie Fiebich wasn’t on many people’s radar. But as the summer progressed, Fiebich became one of the Liberty’s most important players and allowed them to stay atop the league despite the absences of Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. She finished sixth in the league in three-point shooting (42.9%) and had the sixth-best plus-minus of any player (+283).
Coach of the year
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Cheryl Reeve |
Cheryl Reeve |
Cheryl Reeve |
Coach of the Year is often a tough one to pick, but not this season. Cheryl Reeve was spectacular in turning the Lynx into one of the league's best teams, something no one predicted back in May. The Lynx earned a second-place finish, reached the 30-win mark for the first time in franchise history and had the league's second-best defense. If Reeve wins, she will become the first coach to win the honor four times.
Executive of the year
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Clara Duwelius |
Talisa Rhea |
Clara Duwelius |
Talisa Rhea and the Storm made a big splash in the offseason by signing two future Hall of Famers in Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike and then adding Gabby Williams after the Olympics, but the moves didn’t work out as well as they hoped. The additions Clare Duwelius made for the Lynx, meanwhile, went largely under the radar, but Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams, Natisha Hiedeman and Myisha Hines-Allen turned the team into a legitimate contender.
First Team All-WNBA
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Napheesa Collier |
Napheesa Collier |
Napheesa Collier |
Breanna Stewart |
Sabrina Ionescu |
Breanna Stewart |
Alyssa Thomas |
Breanna Stewart |
Alyssa Thomas |
Aja Wilson |
Aja Wilson |
aja wilson |
Second Team All-WNBA
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Kahleah Copper |
Bridget Carleton |
Kahleah Copper |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Sabrina Ionescu |
Jonquel Jones |
Sabrina Ionescu |
Jonquel Jones |
Mrs. Ogwumike |
Jonquel Jones |
Mrs. Ogwumike |
Alyssa Thomas |
Mrs. Ogwumike |
First defensive team
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Napheesa Collier |
By Wanna Bonner |
Napheesa Collier |
Good Magbegor |
Napheesa Collier |
Good Magbegor |
Breanna Stewart |
Breanna Stewart |
Alanna Smith |
Alyssa Thomas |
Courtney Williams |
Breanna Stewart |
aja wilson |
aja wilson |
aja wilson |
Second defensive team
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Dijonai Carrington |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Dijonai Carrington |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Leonie Fiebich |
Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Jonquel Jones |
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton |
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton |
Mrs. Ogwumike |
Kayla McBride |
Mrs. Ogwumike |
Alanna Smith |
Alyssa Thomas |
Alyssa Thomas |
Rookie team
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Caitlin Clark |
Camila Cardoso |
Camila Cardoso |
Camila Cardoso |
Leonie Fiebich |
Leonie Fiebich |
Leonie Fiebich |
Rickea Jackson |
Rickea Jackson |
Rickea Jackson |
Angel Reese |
Angel Reese |
Angel Reese |
Finals
Jack Maloney |
Erica Ayala |
Isabel Gonzalez |
Freedom over Lynx |
The lynx on freedom |
Freedom over Lynx |
The Liberty and Lynx were the top two teams in the regular season, and all three experts predicted that both would make the finals. There were two predictions for the Liberty to win their first title in franchise history and one for the Lynx to hoist the trophy for a record fifth time.
Perhaps most notably, no one picked the Las Vegas Aces to complete a three-peat. Before the season, that was the unanimous decision.